Bibliotherapy at the School of Life

If you visit the School of Life, you might stay a while; its tagline is “ideas to live by”. Useful services include sermons you can listen to and experts you can talk to on the big questions of life.
What was really interesting were the Bibliotherapy services. Unfortunately, we didn’t know about this before Christmas as it might have helped with some gifts …

Our bibliotherapists will meet you at The School of Life for an initial half-hour consultation. They also do consultations by phone or e-mail. This will consist of an unusually in-depth conversation about your attitude and experiences of books (you might read one a day or not have picked one up since school), during which you are invited to share your particular area of concern or curiosity (anything from Japanese archery to how to rediscover your creativity). Following the discussion, you will be given a beautifully presented reading prescription. A longer list will be sent to you by email within the next few days. [The School of Life]

However, it doesn’t stop there. They offer a variety of other services including ‘long term bibliotherapy’, and even the construction of whole libraries. They are also some specialist offerings:
A wedding list ….

Our Wedding Library service is the ideal way to ensure that you, or a couple you know, enter this exciting new phase of life with a bookshelf well stocked – not just with the fundamentals, but with books hand-picked to appeal to and inspire each half of the couple concerned. From the day they are married, their tailored library can be trusted to supply stimulation, inspiration, advice and harmony. [The School of Life]

A retirement library ….

Treat someone who will finally have a bit more time on their hands to read, to travel and to take up new pursuits, with a handpicked new library. Just tell us your budget and one of our bibliotherapists will meet the person who is retiring and devise a tailored list of books for them to treasure for years to come. We’ll then arrange for these to be delivered, all beautifully wrapped, to the office in time for the leaving do. [The School of Life]

And there are various ‘kid’s bibliotherapy’ services including a ‘survival kit for parents’ and …

What to give the eight-year-old who fancies himself as the next prime minister, or the twelve-year-old who has already had their heart broken? How to find books that will survive getting wet in the bath or that you won’t mind being asked to read aloud time after time? Just ask and we’ll assemble the perfect book-based gift box for any child. Visit our Kids Bibliotherapy page to find out more. [The School of Life]

[Note: Bibliotherapy is not a new idea for libraries as Karen Schneider noted in a comment on an entry a while ago.]